The Flood
by Foreststar of WindClan
Summary: A flood. The flood. The one where Bumblepaw watched helplessly as his parents and siblings drowned. The one where Bumblepaw was swept far away by its raging waters. Now lost, will Bumblepaw stay as a loner forever or will he find his way back to his clan? Challenge for DimClan.


Bumblepaw shifted in his nest, trying to get away from the uncomfortably wetness that was clinging to his fur. _Water,_ he thought absentmindedly.

_Water? Water!_ Bumblepaw shot upright and blinked open his eyes. Sure enough, there was water in the den, and it was rising quickly. It was lapping at his paws. _A flood!_

"Wake up!" Bumblepaw yowled. "There's a flood!"

Bumblepaw's sister and brothers groaned, shifting slightly. The only other apprentice in the den didn't budge. Bumblepaw raced over to the nearest cat, his sister Rosepaw, and shook her roughly. She blinked at looked up at him.

"What is it, Bumblepaw?" She asked sleepily.

"There's a flood!" Bumblepaw yowled.

Rosepaw quickly stood up and darted to Blazepaw. Bumblepaw looked down and felt a surge of panic. The water swirled at his knees now. The other apprentices were floating slightly in the water. MountainClan dens were made of reeds and other floating things in case there was a flood. Like now.

Bumblepaw struggled toward his other brother, Burnetpaw. He shook him awake and yowled in his ear.

"A flood!"

Burnetpaw was instantly awake. Bumblepaw moved towards the last apprentice, his best friend, Spiritpaw, who was drifting near the entrance.

"Spiritpaw!" Bumblepaw cried, the swirling water making him stumble.

The black tom raised his head and pricked his ears. He looked down and instantly yelped with shock.

Bumblepaw and Spiritpaw raced out of the den. Outside, the clearing was filled with water. Cats were racing out of the camp. Now, it was up to his belly. Bumblepaw looked back, expecting to see Rosepaw, Blazepaw, and Burnetpaw coming out. But the entrance, which was low to the ground, was completely filled with water.

"Rosepaw!" Bumblepaw cried. "Blazepaw! Burnetpaw!"

The black-striped ginger tom tried to struggle back to the apprentice den, but a cat seized his scruff and pulled him back. Spiritpaw.

"Let me go!" Bumblepaw yowled.

"Bumblepaw... They're dead. Your littermates are dead."

"No!" Bumblepaw screeched.

But he saw the truth in Spiritpaw's words. If they hadn't gotten out before the entrance was filled with water, they wouldn't be able to leave the den because the water would keep pushing them away.

"No," Bumblepaw meowed more softly. His tail drooped.

The two friends turned toward the emergency passage to leave the camp. Bumblepaw spotted his parents, Leafbriar and Stagfrost, right in front of him. They stumbled and lost their footing as a large wave smashed into them and toppled into their son, who was knocked over, spluttering.

Bumblepaw tried to regain his footing, but now the water had rise to his neck. It kept pushing him down. His lungs burned.

_I won't die! I won't!_ Driven by a sudden surge of energy and determination, Bumblepaw kicked his legs and his nose hit the surface. The black-striped ginger tom drew in a deep breath.

"Bumblepaw!" He heard Spiritpaw yowl.

The black tom was struggling towards him. His mentor, Lightheart, seized his scruff and pulled him up the camp, away from Bumblepaw.

Bumblepaw looked around. Leafbriar and Stagfrost were no where to be seen. _They're still underwater!_ He dove under, searching desperately. He couldn't find them. Bumblepaw felt a sinking in his heart. _No! They're still alive!_ His mind tried to convince him. But deep down, in his heart, Bumblepaw knew they were dead. They had drowned.

"No!" Bumblepaw let out a grief-filled, heart-wrenching yowl. "No!"

He stopped fighting the water and let it sweep him away. _My mother, my father, my brothers, my sister, all dead! All dead! All dead!_

**(SEPARATING LINE HERE)**

Bumblepaw jerked awake, panting. His eyes were filled with tears as he thought of his dead family. Ever since he had washed up on the shore, barely alive, a moon ago here, wherever here was, he had had the same dream. Over and over again. He missed Spiritpaw. He missed his mentor, Eaglestrike, even though his tactics were harsh. He missed MountainClan. But he didn't think he would ever see any of them again.

Bumblepaw was alone. Alone in a world that seemed to hate him. He had to fight a fox, several rogues, and the prey was low. The good news was that it was blossoming into green-leaf. But that was what had caused the flood. All the melting snow had turned into water and overfilled the stream

"Why, StarClan, why!?" Bumblepaw yowled.

He shook his head and sank to his belly. _A loner. I'm a loner._ Then the black and ginger tom shook his head fiercely. _I'm a clan cat! I'm a MountainClan apprentice! But how are you going to find your way back? _Asked the other voice.

That was a question Bumblepaw couldn't solve. How was he going to find his way back? Because the stream was so overfilled, he was a long ways away from it. He knew he just had to follow the stream, but he couldn't find the stream.

Bumblepaw rose to his paws. He shook himself. _Mourning and thinking won't get me any closer to MountainClan. I need to keep looking._

The ginger tom slowly padded off. _I need to keep looking. I'll never stop searching for my clan. Never. _He hissed as a a bramble caught in his fur. It was no longer sleek and shiny like most MountainClan cats. The fish had been what kept it like that, but he rarely had fish now.

Bumblepaw leaned over a small pool he spotted. A few tiny fish splashed around in it. His mouth watered. It had been so long since he had had fish. All he mainly had now was mice, squirrels, and the occasional bird. And he couldn't wait to have an actual drink. Besides for when he would come across a river, stream, or puddle, or when it rained, all he could drink was the dew on the leaves.

Bumblepaw's paw flashed out and hooked one of the minnows. It flailed off his claws and flopped onto the grass next to the water. Without hesitation, Bumblepaw leaned down and swallowed the minnow in a single bite.

Such flavors! Bumblepaw savored the fish, never wanting to forget the taste again.

Quick as a flash, Bumblepaw scooped up another minnow and ate it. And another. And another. Then the last one.

Bumblepaw let out a purr. His belly still rumbled, but he found fish! He found true food!

Stretching, Bumblepaw continued, not wanting to hunt after eating the fish and losing the now-rare flavor.

He stared into the distance, thinking of his clan, his family, his paws still working themselves forward. He absentmindedly walked around trees and bushes, didn't notice when he fell down dips and picked himself up and went on. He ignored the rogue he passed, who was carrying prey and bristled and spat at him when he padded by.

At the end of the day, Bumblepaw made a nest inside a bush. Then he curled up and entered sleep. But not a peaceful sleep. A nightmare. A horrible nightmare.

**(SEPARATING LINE HERE)**

Bumblepaw dreamed of the night again. But this time, he saw something new afterwards. Something that horrified him.

"Bumblepaw! Why did you kill us!?" A voice rang out.

Bumblepaw was bewildered. "I didn't kill anyone!"

"Lies!" The voice echoed around the dark clearing. A light brown and cream she-cat appeared, stepping from the shadows.

"Leafbriar!" Bumblepaw gasped. He wanted run towards her, but something was wrong.

Her fur was wild, billowing around her, like she was in water. Her eyes were blank and glazed over, but somehow fury was contained within them. Her body was decaying. Despite that, the black-striped ginger tom recognized his mother.

"You killed us!" Leafbriar screeched. "You killed us!"

"I-I didn't kill you!" Bumblepaw whimpered. "I tried to save you!"

"You failed!" Leafbriar shrieked. "You killed us!"

A dark ginger she-cat appeared. She was in the same state as Leafbriar, but reeds and twigs were stuck in her rotting fur.

"You killed us!" Rosepaw repeated. "You killed us!"

Blazepaw padded in, his flame-colored fur dull. "You killed us! You killed us!"

Burnetpaw appeared, his normally sleek pelt was unkempt. His kind blue eyes were dull, but blazed with rage. "You killed us! You killed us!"

A large light and dark ginger with black stripes leaped down, landing in front of his son. His eyes glared claws at him, his calm blue eyes burning with hatred and fury. Bumblepaw shrank back. The ginger and black tom towered over the the black-striped ginger twelve-moon old cat.

"You killed us, Bumblepaw!" His father, Stagfrost, roared. He shot out a large, ginger, rotting paw, covered with maggots and dirty and unkempt. "You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!"

"You killed us!" Leafbriar repeated, growling.

"You killed us!" Burnetpaw snarled.

"You killed us!" Rosepaw hissed.

"You killed us!" Blazepaw spat.

Their voices overlapped, until Bumblepaw couldn't tell a difference between them. Their pelts blended together until they formed a single cat, with a single, thunderous, rage-filled voice.

_"You killed us!"_

**(SEPARATING LINE HERE)**

Bumblepaw sprang up, his eyes wide with pain and tears. Their furious words rang in his head.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw shook his head and ran. Ran from the place of the nightmare. Hoping desperately that it would vanquish his family's rage-filled voices.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The voices echoed inside his head, refusing to leave. They roared at him. The guilt was too strong. Bumblepaw sank to the ground, defeated, and yowled.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

No words, just a yowl of pure guilt, fury, and grief. _I'm sorry, Leafbriar, Rosepaw, Burnetpaw. I'm sorry, Stagfrost, Blazepaw. I'm sorry!_

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The words quieted, but didn't disappear. Bumblepaw let loose another yowl.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

"I'm sorry!" Bumblepaw cried. "Please, just leave me alone!"

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The voices were so quiet now that they were just a nagging tug at the back of his mind. He let out a soft sigh. I need to find MountainClan.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw stood and took off at a pace. The voices echoed softly at the back of his mind.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw shook his head. _I didn't kill you, my loved ones. I didn't kill you._

**(SEPARATING LINE HERE)**

_Water! _Bumblepaw pricked his ears. There was water! He could hear the bubbling, rushing water. _A stream!_ Something told him he had found the stream that was connected to the camp!

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The voices inside his head were a small tug now, nothing more. Despite that, every night the dreams returned. They were always vivid. Bumblepaw shut them out and raced forward. Sure enough, there was there was a stream.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw leaned down at the edge and lapped at the water. It was cool and refreshing. He spotted a flash of silver. _Fish!_

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw pushed the voices to the back of his head. They echoed distantly.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

He scooped out a pike. The silver fish flopped around on the ground besides the stream before Bumblepaw leaned down and bit down on its spine. The pike went limp.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw chewed it contentedly. It had been so long. The last fish he had had was those five minnows swimming around in the little pool, two moons ago.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The black-striped ginger cat looked to his left. An empty plain stood before his eyes. Bumblepaw looked to the right. The mountains stood high and mighty in his gaze.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

Bumblepaw continued eating his pike, savoring each bite.

_You killed us! You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!_

The black and ginger fourteen-moon old tom headed towards the mountains. He would be home soon!

**(SEPARATING LINE HERE)**

A screech split the air. A sleek black tom exploded from the bushes and bowled Bumblepaw over. _Rogue!_ His mind went blank, his claws slid out, and his instincts took over.

Bumblepaw flipped over, crushing his foe. The cat grunted and thrust Bumblepaw off him with his hind legs. Bumblepaw landed neatly on all four paws. He had fought so many rogues while he was searching. Defeating one more wouldn't make a difference!

The cat charged towards Bumblepaw, yowling, but he froze, recognizing the cat. He stared at the familiar, determined, green eyes and the sleek, shiny, black pelt. Then Bumblepaw scented the air. He was on MountainClan territory! He was sure of it!

"Spiritpaw?" Bumblepaw asked.

If Spiritpaw heard him, he didn't show it. Bumblepaw sheathed his claws and sidestepped, landing a soft blow to his friend's flank.

"If you won't get off our territory, rogue," Spiritpaw snarled, wheeling around to face him. He clearly didn't recognize Bumblepaw. "Then I'll make you! And you're fighting like a kit!"

Spiritpaw leaped forward and Bumblepaw made no move to avoid him. He pinned the black and ginger tom down.

"Give in!" Spiritpaw hissed.

"Never!" Bumblepaw grunted.

He flipped over again, and suddenly Bumblepaw was the one pinning down Spiritpaw. His friend's eyes widened as he raised a paw.

"I know all your moves, Spiritpaw," Bumblepaw growled. "You give in!"

"I'm Spiritstorm!" Spiritpaw spat. "And how do you know my name?"

Bumblepaw lowered his paw and released Spiritstorm. He licked his paw and drew it over his ears. Spiritstorm scrambled away, hissing.

"You don't recognize me?" Bumblepaw pretended to pout. Inside, he was a little hurt that his closest friend forgot him. He leaned closer. "Remember the flood? The one where Leafbriar, Stagfrost, Rosepaw, Burnetpaw, Blazepaw, and Bumblepaw drowned? Six cats in one night!"

Spiritstorm looked suspicious, but he nodded. Before he could ask how Bumblepaw knew about it, the black and ginger tom went on.

"Bumblepaw was swept away," Bumblepaw went on. "What did Bumblepaw look like?"

Spiritstorm looked taken aback, but he replied, "A bright ginger tom with black stripes and blue eyes."

"And what do I look like?" Bumblepaw questioned.

"You're a bright ginger tom with black stripes and blue eyes," Spiritstorm still looked confused.

"Notice anything between me and Bumblepaw?" The black and ginger tom went on, ignoring the slight tug of hurt.

Spiritstorm's eyes widened as he recognized Bumblepaw. "Bumblepaw!" He gasped.

"Nice that you finally recognized me!" Bumblepaw purred.

"Come on!" Spiritstorm purred. "Eaglestar won't believe that you're finally back!"

Spiritstorm led his friend deeper into the territory. Bumblepaw was never so glad to see MountainClan again, to smell it. Then he scented cats. His old clanmates.

Bumblepaw was nervous as he was led into the camp. Cats turned towards Spiritstorm. They bristled and spat when they spotted Bumblepaw.

The black and ginger tom couldn't help but feel hurt as they passed by his old friends.

"Eaglestar!" Spiritstorm called.

The golden-brown tom emerged from his den. He tensed when he spotted Bumblepaw.

"What is it, Spiritstorm?" Whisperstar asked warily.

"You won't believe who I found by the border!" Spiritstorm exclaimed.

"What, a rogue?" A voice called out. Bumblepaw looked around to see a brown warrior glaring at him. "Big deal!"

"Quiet, Mudflight!" Eaglestar snapped. "Spiritstorm and Spiritstorm alone will explain."

"Of course no one recognizes me," Bumblepaw growled bitterly. "I was nobody. I remember you, Eaglestrike. The deputy three moons ago."

Eaglestar's eyes widened. The clan shifted uneasily. "How do you know that? How do you know my warrior name?" He demanded, taking a step back.

Bumblepaw bared his teeth in annoyance, impatience, and hurt. "Don't you remember your old apprentice, Bumblepaw? The ginger tom with black stripes that got swept away by the flood three moons ago?"

"Bumblepaw?" Eaglestar whispered.

"You finally got it!" Bumblepaw meowed.

"How did you find your way back? We thought you died," Eaglestar asked.

So Bumblepaw told his whole story. Almost all of it. He left out his dreams, his terrible dreams.

Bumblepaw was exhausted by the time he was done. He wobbled, feeling unsteady. Spiritstorm leaned in and supported him.

"You can rest," Eaglestar meowed. "But first, I think I should give you your warrior name. Your story proves that you deserve it."

Bumblepaw was thrilled. He stared up at Eaglestar as the golden-brown leader went on.

"Bumblepaw, do you promise to uphold the MountainClan code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Bumblepaw dipped his head. "I do." Despite his fatigue, his voice rang out loud and clear.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Bumblepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Bumblesong, because even after you lost your family, you went on, like a song."

Bumblesong held himself high, still leaning against Spiritstorm, as he listened to the clan cheering his name.

"Bumblesong! Bumblesong!"

_I am home. I have my warrior name, and I am home. I am home._

**I know this is depressing. Please review what you thought! This is my longest one-shot I've ever made! I'm very proud of myself. Also, if you could check out my forums. They are DuskClan, DimClan, and FlightClan. Thanks for reading The Flood! Bye!**

**—Foreststar**


End file.
